Ash's Lycanroc: Difference between revisions

In ''[[SM027|A Glaring Rivalry!]]'', Rockruff was seen training with [[Ash's Rowlet]] and {{AP|Litten}}. Later, it witnessed its evolved form {{p|Lycanroc}} winning a battle against a {{p|Blastoise}}, which greatly impressed it. Ash later used Rockruff in his battle against {{an|Gladion}} in which it battled Lycanroc. Rockruff got quickly overwhelmed by Lycanroc's great speed and fierce moves, but was still able to battle. The battle was then interrupted by {{TRT}}, who captured Pikachu and Lycanroc.

In ''[[SM036|Trials and Determinations!]]'', Rockruff was used in the [[Akala Island]] grand trial alongside Rowlet, battling [[Olivia]]'s Lycanroc and {{p|Probopass}}. Despite their opponents giving them tough times with their combination tactics, Rowlet eventually managed to defeat Probopass with {{m|Bloom Doom}}. Unfortunately, Rockruff, who was acting aggressively, was so desperate to battle Lycanroc by itself that it impulsively used {{m|Bite}} against Rowlet, accidentally knocking it out. Despite this setback, Ash encouraged Rockruff to use its fighting spirit, allowing it to outspeed and defeat Lycanroc, earning Ash a [[Rockium Z]]. Professor Kukui and Olivia then revealed to Ash that Rockruff's behavior was a sign that it was going to [[evolution|evolve]] soon.

In ''[[SM038|Mimikyu Unmasked!]]'', Ash had Lycanroc use {{m|Continental Crush}} against Team Rocket, but the attack failed. After another attempt, Professor Kukui gave him some advice, which led to Ash training with {{an|Kiawe}} and his {{TP|Kiawe|Turtonator}}. When Team Rocket showed up again and [[Jessie]] challenged Ash to a battle with her {{TP|Jessie|Mimikyu}}, Lycanroc mastered Continental Crush and sent Team Rocket blasting off, much to their surprise.

In ''[[SM047|A Masked Warning!]]'', Ash discovered while washing Lycanroc that it was so proud of its appearance that it would fly into a rage and attack if its fur got dirty. Lycanroc attacked {{AP|Litten}} and Litten fought back, with Ash placing himself between his two errant Pokémon. This helped Lycanroc to calm down, and it was very apologetic towards Ash. Later, Ash used Lycanroc to battle Gladion's {{p|Type: Null}}, nicknamed Silvally, where it was outmatched by its opponent sheer power. During the battle Lycanroc was thrown into a nearby lake which drenched its fur, causing another rage during which it refused to listen to Ash's commands. Despite this, Silvally was still the stronger opponent and Lycanroc was easily held at bay before it could regain control of itself. After Lycanroc recovered, Ash and Gladion decided to continue the battle, but despite its best efforts, Lycanroc couldn't stand up to the power of Silvally's {{m|Crush Claw}} and was defeated.

==Personality and characteristics==

Lycanroc is normally a playful, affectionate Pokémon that gets along well with both Ash and its previous caretaker, Professor Kukui. The first night Ash stayed with the Professor, Rockruff, Pikachu, and Ash were quickly able to befriend each other. As a Rockruff, like other members of its species, it likes to greet and show affection to others by rubbing up against them with the rocks on its neck, although it doesn't seem to be aware that it stings the recipient. Its affectionate personality was also shown in ''[[SM045|Now You See Them, Now You Don't!]]'', where, despite the fact that {{AP|Litten}} was angry toward it whilst eating and whilst relaxing at home, it continued to eat and smiled back at Litten respectively. Lycanroc appears to take its failures rather personally. As a Rockruff in ''[[SM036|Trials and Determinations!]]'', after knocking out {{AP|Rowlet}} in a fit of anger, it immediately came to its senses and regretted what it had done, and, despite ultimately winning against [[Olivia]], was still visibly upset in [[SM037|the next episode]]. At the end of ''[[SM074|Tough Guy Trials!]]'', Lycanroc was seen sulking in the corner of [[Acerola]]'s house after losing its battle with [[Nanu]]'s {{p|Krookodile}}, prompting Ash to give it a pep talk.

Although Rockruff lived with Professor Kukui before being caught by Ash, it was actually a wild Pokémon that Professor Kukui was taking care of. When Ash revealed this to his classmates at the [[Pokémon School]], {{Rotom}} added that Rockruff readily bond with humans even if they are not captured by a {{pkmn|Trainer}}. After evolving, Lycanroc started taking great pride in its fur, as shown in ''[[SM047|A Masked Warning!]]'', and is shown to enjoy being groomed and taking baths despite being a {{type|Rock}}, as observed by Rotom. However, if angered enough, such as when its fur gets dirty, Lycanroc's eyes turned red, and it would fly into a rage, lashing out at whomever it thought was responsible. When this happened, Lycanroc became [[obedience|disobedient]] and ignored Ash's commands. This weakness caused problems later during Ash's battle with Gladion and {{TP|Gladion|Silvally}}, and was later the cause of its defeat at the hands of Nanu and his Krookodile in ''Tough Guy Trials!''. In ''[[SM075|Some Kind of Laziness!]]'', Lycanroc was able to overcome this destructive habit with the help of Ash and the bond the two shared, remembering a memory it had when it played in the mud happily with Ash and Pikachu when it was still a Rockruff. After this, Lycanroc no longer goes berserk when its fur is dirtied, as seen in ''[[SM076|A Battle Hand-Off!]]'', where it got a bit of mud on its face and only reacted with disappointment. In ''[[SM077|Guiding an Awakening!]]'', Lycanroc was revealed to have gained full control of its red-eyed state, allowing it to use it as a boost of power.